Inspiring Travel Writing from Mary Novakovich
Mary Novakovich has been a journalist for at least 25 years and has been focusing on travel writing for more than a decade, winning several awards along the way. Her travel articles have appeared in The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph and New Statesman, as well as the monthly francophile magazines Living France, France and French Magazine. This hints at a massive love affair with France, closely matched by one with Italy, which extends deeply into the language, food and culture. And then there’s the Balkans, home of her family and the reason why she can understand the labyrinthine history of the former Yugoslavia. It also means she has a good head for Serbian plum brandy.
She loves hiking and writing about it. The same goes for skiing, even if she’s a bit rubbish at it – the skiing, that is.
Mary has had several parallel careers within journalism, namely as a television critic for The Guardian and as one of the editors of the Guinness British Hit Singles book. This makes her especially good at pub quizzes, but don’t ask her any questions on Coronation Street. Based in Essex, she is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers and her website can be found at www.marynovakovich.com.
She loves hiking and writing about it. The same goes for skiing, even if she’s a bit rubbish at it – the skiing, that is.
Mary has had several parallel careers within journalism, namely as a television critic for The Guardian and as one of the editors of the Guinness British Hit Singles book. This makes her especially good at pub quizzes, but don’t ask her any questions on Coronation Street. Based in Essex, she is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers and her website can be found at www.marynovakovich.com.
Articles by Mary Novakovich
-
Summer in Belgrade
|
Mary Novakovich
|
Montenegro
|
Belgrade Region
|
Belgrade
Summer in Belgrade, where temperatures can nudge 40C, means bagging a spot on the beach. A real beach, not like the temporary one in Paris along the banks of the Seine. In the middle of the Sava, one of Belgrade’s two rivers, is Ada Ciganlija, an...
-
A Lesson In Grapes: A Vineyard in French Catalonia
|
Mary Novakovich
|
France
|
Languedoc/ South West
Jérôme Coussanes holds up several bunches of grapes. “That’s Muscat,” he says, pointing to a pale green bunch, “and that’s Grenache.” There aren’t many ten year old boys who can spot the difference between grape varieties, let alone care about such...
-
View from the Citadel: A Guide to the Corsican Town of Calvi
|
Mary Novakovich
|
France
|
Corsica Region
|
Calvi
In some ways, it’s hard not to empathise with Horatio Nelson when he turned his back on Corsica and on the northern port of Calvi in particular. After all, it’s where he famously lost the sight of one eye in a battle against the French and he vowed...
-
A Walking Tour in Costa Rica
|
Mary Novakovich
|
Costa Rica
|
Pacific Coast
It was hard to avoid a slight sense of panic in the arrivals lounge at San Jose airport. Scores of taxi touts swarmed round us, making it difficult to find our guide who was to look after us during our walking holiday. I know it’s a typical scene in...
-
Made In Milwaukee: A Mooch Around Wisconsin's Largest City
|
Mary Novakovich
|
United States
|
Wisconsin
|
Milwaukee
I met the Fonz once, back in 1988. Nice chap that Henry Winkler. Quite short, very affable, a bit nervous because he was about to premiere the first feature film he had directed. Years later, I was standing beside his newly commemorated statue in...
-
Return to the Slopes: Skiing in Davos, Switzerland
|
Mary Novakovich
|
Switzerland
|
Swiss Alps
|
Davos
Call it a mid-life crisis or even a mid-winter madness but, after more than 20 years away from the ski slopes, I was gripped by an unreasonable desire to roll about in snow again. Not the wrong kind of snow that paralyses Britain at the drop of a...
-
The Most Attractive Port Along France's Atlantic Coast: La Rochelle
|
Mary Novakovich
|
France
|
La Rochelle Region
La Rochelle usually wins hands down in any list of the most attractive ports along France’s Atlantic Coast. Its appeal is instant: the sight of two imposing 14th-century stone towers flanking the entrance to the harbour is enough to hook you in....
-
A Bride’s Guide to a New York Wedding
|
Mary Novakovich
|
United States
|
New York State
|
New York
Second weddings can be a bit of a problem. If you’ve been through the big family shindig once, you don’t really want to go through it another time. Then again, do you want to steal away and not have anyone you care about witness the best day of your...
-
Skiing in Samoëns: A Skier’s Tour of the French Alps
|
Mary Novakovich
|
France
|
French Alps
|
Savoie
As a Francophile who only recently returned to skiing after a long hiatus, I was less than enamoured by the idea of the French Alps. Too many English people, I thought, and too many concrete villages. Surely there was an authentic slice of France...
-
A Walking Tour of Sicily
|
Mary Novakovich
|
Italy
|
Sicily
Mario Puzo has a lot to answer for. I’d had enough of people saying to me “So did you get an offer you couldn’t refuse?” at the mention of a visit to Sicily. Out came the usual jokes of horses’ heads and sleeping fishes. But I did get an offer I...